SLOVENIAN RESPONSE FOR JULY 22-23 GAERC

1. (SBU) On July 17, Emboffs met with Aljaz Arih,
Head of the CFSP Unit at the MFA, to deliver reftel
points in advance of the July 22 - 23 for the
General Affairs and External Relations Council
(GAERC) meeting.

IRAN


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2. (SBU) Per reftel, Emboff urged the Government of
Slovenia (GOS), as an EU member state, to act on UN
Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1803. Arih
responded by stating that although draft text is
currently in the working group, it is unlikely that
a text will be adopted for the EU Common Position at
the July 22-23 GAERC meeting. He did note, however,
that Solana will brief the foreign ministers on the
July 19 P5+1 meeting in Geneva. Arih expects the
text for the EU Common Position to go beyond mere
adoption of UNSCR 1803 by calling for additional
measures against Iranian banks and by encouraging
inspections of cargo transported by Iranian
companies beyond those cited in 1803. He cautioned,
however, that the final text will depend on the
results of the July 19 P5+1 meeting. Arih noted
that the GOS is pleased that Undersecretary of State
for Political Affairs William Burns will be
attending the meeting in Geneva.

SOMALIA


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3. (SBU) Arih stated that the GOS supports U.S.
positions on Somalia and advocates an inclusive
approach to addressing the humanitarian crisis.
Regarding the adoption of UNSCR 1816, Arih noted
that the EU is currently working on how it can
contribute to a joint interdiction operation with
the multi-national Combined Task Force (CTF). Arih
said that possible EU contributions could be an ESDP
operation or individual contributions by EU member
states to the CTF.

CHAD/SUDAN/DARFUR


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4. (SBU) Arih stated that the main purpose of the
Chad agenda item will be to discuss the Chad ESDP
mission. He noted that the mission is approximately
halfway through its one-year term and the GAERC will
discuss the coming transition to a UN force. Noting
that the situations in Sudan and Chad are closely
linked, Arih stressed the importance of a political
dialogue between Sudan and Chad as well as political
agreement between the government of Chad and
opposition groups.

ZIMBABWE


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5. (SBU) Arih agreed that stronger measures were
needed in Zimbabwe and relayed that an agreement was
reached between EU member states on a sanctions
package to be adopted at the July 22-23 GAERC
meeting which will strengthen travel bans and asset
freezes. Arih noted that the GOS is disappointed
the UNSC was unable to act on a clear violation of
human rights and democracy in Zimbabwe. He stated
that the main elements of the anticipated GAERC
conclusions on Zimbabwe are non-recognition of the
election results as legitimate, further measures
against the Mugabe regime, support for South African
Development Community (SADC) efforts, and emphasis
upon the necessity of negotiations.

UKRAINE


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6. (SBU) Arih said that although the GOS favors the
promotion of a European perspective in Ukraine, not
all EU member states agree. Arih mentioned that the
GOS supports the establishment of an association

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agreement with Ukraine, but again noted the lack of
consensus amongst EU member states on the way
forward with Kyiv. Arih also stated that the GOS
supports establishing a visa dialogue with Ukraine.

THE BALKANS


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7. (SBU) Although not raised by Emboff, Arih
imparted some additional comments with respect to
the Western Balkans. Arih said that Slovene Foreign
Minister Dmitri Rupel will address the GAERC meeting
to speak about the political situation in Serbia
following the formation of a new government. Rupel
will provide an analysis linking the new government
with the situation in Kosovo, and discuss possible
next steps for the EU. Arih noted that the GOS is
concerned about the international community?s
presence on the ground in Kosovo and the postponed
transition from UNMIK to the EULEX mission. He
stated that the GOS hopes the UN Secretary General
will provide greater clarity on the situation in the
coming days.

Transatlantic Relations


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8. (SBU) Arih stated that Portuguese Foreign
Minister Luis Amado recently sent a proposal to all
EU Foreign Ministers to have a discussion at the
July 22-23 meeting on strategies to improve
transatlantic relations. However, Arih did not
expect there will be much discussion about the
proposal at the July GAERC, but that it will most
likely receive more attention at the next Gymnich in
September.

Georgia


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9. (SBU) Arih stated that German Foreign Minister
Frank-Walter Steinmeier will report to the GAERC on
his recent visits to Tbilisi, Moscow and Sukhumi.
Arih expected discussion over a German package
proposal that aims to ease political tensions over
Abkhazia.


COLEMAN